High Positions On King's Court

February 01, 1996|by JEFF SCHULER, The Morning Call

As he struggled through a three-win first season as women's basketball coach at King's College, Bryan Whitten knew that the fastest way to resurrect his squad's fortunes was to mine the most productive girls basketball programs in the state.

Naturally, that included a visit to 4th and Chew Sts. in Allentown.

"I needed to find kids who were compatible academically with King's and who could also play basketball and contribute right away," Whitten said.

"I went to the winning programs, like Central Catholic and Lansdale Catholic and Bishop Shanahan, because my belief is that winning breeds winning, and those players know the hard work and the extra sacrifice it takes to get there."

His trip to center-city Allentown paid off handsomely when he convinced Central Catholic's Kara Willians and Carla Schultes to head north after graduation.

Both were instrumental in King's quick turnaround into a competitive team last year, and both are keys this year as the Lady Monarchs (7-7 through the season's first 14 games) try to move up even further in the Middle Atlantic Conference's Freedom Division.

Williams, who played the point on last year's 12-13 squad that qualified for the MAC playoffs, has moved back to her natural spot at off-guard and is third on the team with a 8.6-point scoring average.

Schultes, overlooked after an undistinguished career at Central, surprised almost everyone by earning a second-team berth on the Freedom League's all-star team as a freshman. She's continued her solid play in the middle this year, averaging 6.1 points and 4.9 rebounds a game.

"They were the two positions where we didn't have anyone coming back," said Whitten, who brought in 10 freshmen last year. "And they both stepped in and did the job."

Court time was the main thing that attracted both Williams, who lives in Allentown's Mountainville area, and Schultes, from Emmaus, to King's.

"I wanted to go to a school with a good academic program, but I also wanted to continue playing basketball and go where I'd get a lot of playing time," said Williams, a three-year varsity player and two-year starter at Central. "I knew these would be my last four years to play, and I wanted to play a lot. I felt I could do that at King's.

"I worked my way up at Central and really didn't play a lot," Schultes admitted. "Sometimes I felt like I didn't make much of an impact while I was there, and I was looking for someplace where I could do that."

Schultes caught Whitten's eye at a summer camp prior to her senior year. "She was big, athletic and could run the floor," he recalled. And an assistant, on a trip to Central during the season, spotted Williams.

"He went to see Carla play and came back and told me there was a guard who could help us," Whitten said. "That's how we got involved with Kara."

Both players said King's struggles during that season didn't scare them off.

"I knew he was doing a lot of recruiting and was planning to bring in a lot of people," Williams said.

"I thought it'd be cool to go someplace where I could help make a difference," Schultes added.

Still, she didn't quite expect her sudden success when she led the team in field goal percentage (44.7 percent), was second in rebounding (7 a game) and averaged 7.1 points a game.

"He said I was coming in to play, and at first I didn't believe him," Schultes said. "At first I didn't believe him but he kept saying if I worked hard I was going to play, and that's what happened.

"I never thought I'd do as well as I did, and I never expected to be nominated as the league's rookie of the year," she admitted. "When I looked at the other players (on the all-star team) I couldn't believe I was in the same caliber as them."

"Frankly, she turned out to be the biggest surprise, and I think a lot of people are wishing they had seen the potential she had," Whitten said.

Williams came in as a shooter, but it didn't take long for her to make the switch to the point.

"From day one we'd be playing pickup games, and no one else really wanted to play the point in those games," Williams sheepishly admitted. "I just started playing out there and that's where I stayed."

"The girls would stop by after the games, and all they talked about was how Kara was playing so well running point. So from that point on, that was where she was playing," Whitten said.

Williams dished out 85 assists a year ago but still found time to finish third on the team in scoring with a 9.6 average and also set a school record with 36 3-pointers. This year, she gave up her spot to highly touted freshman Elaine Colyer from Altoona's Bishop Guilfoyle High.

"I think I did OK last year, but I'm a little more comfortable back at the 2-guard," Williams admitted.

Colyer, who is averaging 10.6 points and 4.5 assists a game, is the type of player Whitten hopes to be able to attract to King's. She shunned several Division I offers to join the Monarchs.